My sister Caroline Chisholm, who has died from a brain tumour aged 43, was an award-winning novelist, a professional communicator for a number of high-profile charities and a dedicated environmentalist.
Caroline was born in Brentwood, Essex, the second of five children of Bob and Marsha Chisholm. Our father worked for HM Customs & Excise and in that capacity was assigned to positions across the UK. Caroline attended primary schools first in Ibstone, Buckinghamshire, and then over 700 miles away in the Shetland Islands. Her education continued in Peterlee, County Durham, before she completed GCSEs and A-levels in Westcliff-on-Sea. She went to Queen’s University Belfast, and graduated in English and Russian studies.
Caroline’s career began in marketing and PR at the Northern Ireland Film Council. She dedicated both her working and her personal life to charities including the National Osteoporosis Society and the Vegetarian Society, having been a committed vegetarian from the age of 13. A supporter of the homeless charity Crisis, she gave up her own Christmas to look after others.
In 2008, she was appointed head of marketing and communications globally for the Earthwatch Institute in Oxford. From there Caroline moved to Amsterdam in 2011 to take up the role of climate change communications manager for Greenpeace International.
Caroline left Greenpeace in 2012 and moved to Southport to be closer to family. She began studying for an MA in creative writing at the University of Manchester. While there, she also worked as a home care worker and volunteered with the Southport Lifeboat station.
Caroline had declared at the age of five her intention to swim the Channel. In 2009, she set out to do just that and although the bad weather ultimately prevented it, she spent many hours training in the freezing sea around Dover, as well as blogging about her experience. This led to the development of her first novel, Swimming Pool Hill.
In September 2013, while doing research on her book in Calais, Caroline was suddenly taken ill and diagnosed with an aggressive and malignant brain tumour. She underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and somehow managed to stay positive throughout. In 2014, Caroline entered Swimming Pool Hill for the Bridport prize and, out of 1,200 entries, she was awarded first prize in the Peggy Chapman-Andrews first novel award. By this time she had completed her MA, started a PhD and was working on another novel.
When in April this year a routine scan revealed that her tumour had returned, along with others, she never complained or gave up. Caroline continued to write until her last few days, surrounded by her family and friends.
She is survived by our parents, her sisters, Jaine and me, and brothers, Robert and Stephen, and by three nieces and two nephews.
